Family mourns loss after missing Greenwich woman is found dead

Published 10:11 pm, Thursday, May 13, 2010

The body of Greenwich resident Michiko Kamhi, 48, who has been missing since April 19, was found Wednesday night at Compo Mill Beach in Westport. Photo courtesy of the Greenwich Police Department.

The body of Greenwich resident Michiko Kamhi, 48, who has been missing since April 19, was found Wednesday night at Compo Mill Beach in Westport. Photo courtesy of the Greenwich Police Department.

Photo: Contributed Photo, Greenwich Time

Family mourns loss after missing Greenwich woman is found dead

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The family of a Greenwich woman whose body was found along the Westport shoreline late Wednesday night are devastated and puzzled by the events of the last three weeks.

Michiko Kamhi, a 48-year-old Riverside resident, vanished on April 19 after police said she took her family dog and drove off. It wasn't until Wednesday night that police found her body washed up on shore at Compo Mill Beach in Westport.

Kamhi's body was identified Thursday by her dental records, but a cause of death will not be determined until further tests are completed, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Nat Kamhi, who married "Miko" nearly 18 years ago, said his family was shocked.

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"My family is devastated and we are all grieving tremendously," Kamhi said Thursday. "Miko was a tremendous part of this community. She was extremely artistic."

Kamhi said his wife, with whom he has two teenage daughters, was involved in many clubs in town including the Greenwich Newcomers Club and was heavy tied to the town's Japanese community. Kamhi, who was born in Japan, also taught pilates and loved making jewelry, according to her family.

"It doesn't make sense," her husband said. "She had so much going for her."

Kamhi said the night his wife went missing, they had dinner together and then he left to pick up his daughter. When he returned, she was gone and so was the family's dog, a white golden doodle.

Kamhi was reported missing that night, prompting an investigation by Greenwich police. Then on April 20, Westport police found an abandoned car parked near Compo Mill Beach that belonged to Kamhi. Using a bloodhound, police traced Kamhi's scent to a path by the beach. On April 22, police determined a dog's body that had washed up on Sherwood Island Beach the day before belonged to Kamhi's family. Police believe the dog drowned.

Westport police Capt. Sam Arciola said his agency will take over the investigation because the body was found in their jurisdiction.

Kamhi said while his family awaits more information on his wife's death, he plans to hold a memorial service next Friday at a funeral home on Greenwich Avenue.

"We want to celebrate her life and remember what a role model she was for everybody," Kamhi said. "That is how I want her to be remembered."